Chlorine Deficiency Detected In Water Supplied To GBS Patients’ Homes

A water quality survey held around Nanded village, the epicentre of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in Pune, has found a lack of chlorine in the drinking water supplied to households of 26 patients of this nerve disorder, officials said.

Officials of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), formed to probe the outbreak of the GBS cases in Nanded and adjoining localities in the Sinhagad Road area, said there were 77 GBS patients in Nanded. Of them, the households of 62 patients were visited to take the drinking water samples.

The findings about chlorine levels in drinking water were discussed in the RRT meeting.

Experts have now urged the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) water supply department to take immediate action to maintain a chlorine level of 0.2 ppm (parts per million) in the household water supply to ensure public health safety.

“While water at the source (well) was found to be adequately purified with sufficient chlorine levels, zero chlorine was detected in households of 26 patients out of 62,” an RRT member said.

The water supply department should take immediate action to maintain a minimum chlorine level of 0.2 ppm in household water supply, he said.

Last week, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar said 80% of the suspected GBS cases in Pune have been reported from areas located around a mega well in Nanded.

He noted that a high number of cases in certain areas appeared to be linked to suspected water contamination.

When contacted, PMC’s water supply department head Nandkishor Jagtap said the water from the well (in Nanded, which supplies to four to five villages) is adequately purified with sufficient chlorine levels.

“The reasons for zero chlorine level could be that the households must be sourcing water from other sources, such as private tankers or non-cleaning of overhead water tanks at the residential society or individual household,” he said.

There is another reason that if the water is stored in large quantities, the levels of chlorine could go volatile, the official said.

Jagtap said his department also collected samples in which chlorine was not found in some and E. coli bacteria was found.

“After we found E. coli in some of the water samples collected from the tankers, their operators have been issued notices and they have been instructed to use bleaching power solutions provided by the PMC to ensure the bacteria is contained,” he said. Some of the private water ATMs were seized after E. coli was found in their samples, he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Radhakishan Pawar, deputy director of the state health department and chairman of the RRT, said the outbreak of GBS is subsiding now. “There was a peak around January 18 and 19 but now a decline has been recorded,” he said.

Additionally, the officials of the state health department have confirmed that the GBS outbreak was caused by the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, which entered people through contaminated water received from wells. The confirmation came nearly a month after the first patient believed to be part of the cluster was admitted on January 9 in the city. It also ruled out food contamination, one of the lines of investigation authorities had opened after the surge in cases was reported.

So far, five suspected GBS deaths have been reported in Pune district.